Truck is HORRIBLE in 2HI loose conditions

[YeaImDylan]

Hey all, back again!

 

as the title states, my truck does terribly in 2WD in dirt if it starts to slip just a bit. I got stuck briefly at a friend’s cabin trying to reverse up a very very slight incline. I get terrible axle wrap in both forward and reverse.

I know obvious answers would be go into 4HI but I have an issue with my T-Case. That’s being thought upon currently on how I wanna go about replacing it. While in 4HI, it pops back into 2HI as soon as I give it any skinny pedal. I also found out the P/O put a junkyard NP241 DLD in it… almost certain my year with the 6 speed came with a DHD so I don’t even want to rebuild this one and diagnose it… which this is a two part question. What all would the previous owner had to have done to put a DLD in here? I’m afraid I’m gonna need different driveshafts and whatnot if I get my hands on a DHD. Maybe he took it apart and put a different spine shaft to match the NV5600?

 

Any input is highly welcomed!

[Tractorman]

I can't offer any help regarding the transfer case, but i do have some thoughts about lack of traction in two-wheel drive.

 

*  What tire pressure are you running in the rear tires (looks like a dually according to your avatar)? I would run no higher than 40 psi, maybe even less.

 

*  Throw some weight in the bed over the rear axle.  (500-700 lbs).  I carry a 600 lb pallet of pavers during the winter month just for that reason.  It works very well for traction, even in two-wheel drive with an open differential.

 

*  What material is the clutch made from?  organic, ceramic, etc?  Organic will have the smoothest engagement   Ceramic encourages axle wrap.

 

* What is the condition of your rear shocks?  The rear shocks are mounted at an angle on the rear axle to help with forward / reverse torsional stability when putting power to the wheels or engaging the clutch.

 

*  Do you engage the clutch without throttle?  As you know, these engine have lots of clutch engagement torque.  No throttle should be applied until the clutch is fully engaged.

 

Any or all of the above mentioned items can contribute to wheel hop / axle wrap and / or traction loss.

 

- John

 

 

Edited January 7 by Tractorman

[Mopar1973Man]

Pushing back into 2WD is a sign of the shaft bearings being worn out so the shaft is moving forward and backward so it's shifting in this manner. I would just pull it down and see about getting a rebuild kit and rebuilding. If not you can figure the price of the transfer case is about 1,800 to 2,200 dollars with a hefty core charge of about 500 dollars. 

[YeaImDylan]

Gentlemen, thank you for the replies!

 

I just had these tires put on about a month ago, pretty sure they’re at like max rating… I’ll look into airing them down! Also she is a single axle in the back.

 

I’ll look into getting something for the season for weight!

 

I just ordered a new valair organic dual disc since my SBDD is toast.. I’ll check the receipts from previous owner and see if it was ceramic or not.

 

rear shocks can use some love for sure.. I just did a cross country trip and only had replaced the fronts with bilstein 5100s i believe. I also do engage the clutch with no added pedal when in those conditions.

 

 

24 minutes ago, Tractorman said:

I can't offer any help regarding the transfer case, but i do have some thoughts about lack of traction in two-wheel drive.

 

*  What tire pressure are you running in the rear tires (looks like a dually according to your avatar)? I would run no higher than 40 psi, maybe even less.

 

*  Throw some weight in the bed over the rear axle.  (500-700 lbs).  I carry a 600 lb pallet of pavers during the winter month just for that reason.  It works very well for traction, even in two-wheel drive with an open differential.

 

*  What material is the clutch made from?  organic, ceramic, etc?  Organic will have the smoothest engagement   Ceramic encourages axle wrap.

 

* What is the condition of your rear shocks?  The rear shocks are mounted at an angle on the rear axle to help with forward / reverse torsional stability when putting power to the wheels or engaging the clutch.

 

*  Do you engage the clutch without throttle?  As you know, these engine have lots of clutch engagement torque.  No throttle should be applied until the clutch is fully engaged.

 

Any or all of the above mentioned items can contribute to wheel hop / axle wrap and / or traction loss.

 

- John

 

 

 

15 minutes ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Pushing back into 2WD is a sign of the shaft bearings being worn out so the shaft is moving forward and backward so it's shifting in this manner. I would just pull it down and see about getting a rebuild kit and rebuilding. If not you can figure the price of the transfer case is about 1,800 to 2,200 dollars with a hefty core charge of about 500 dollars. 

Would you keep the DLD and rebuilding over buying what should be in there? I saw some DHD’s for sale for like a grand in I believe Rancho Cordova near Sacramento. I’m in northern nevada currently. I just don’t want to rebuild and it ending up being the detents or rooster comb which I don’t believe are usually in the rebuild kits..

[Mopar1973Man]

Just for info purpose. With my 245/75 R16 with a rating of 3042 at 80 PSI

 

Front axle needs 60 PSI and the rear axle 40 PSI. Then to be able to carry the full 8800 pound rating I need 60 PSI all the way around. 

 

I do have the math formula how you can get tire pressures from axle weights.

[YeaImDylan]

13 hours ago, Mopar1973Man said:

Just for info purpose. With my 245/75 R16 with a rating of 3042 at 80 PSI

 

Front axle needs 60 PSI and the rear axle 40 PSI. Then to be able to carry the full 8800 pound rating I need 60 PSI all the way around. 

 

I do have the math formula how you can get tire pressures from axle weights.

I’d be interested in seeing it! I lowered my rears from 80 to 60. They’re 35x12.50x18. Fronts are sitting at about 55 currently. Also had no issues in the snow/ice today. Not sure why I struggle seemingly more in gravel/loose dirt.

[Mopar1973Man]

Wider tires tend to float on top of ice and slush. This is my reason I keep going down in size which now pushes the tread face down through the ice and slush. I will admit wider tires in mud and sand work really well. Then again wide tires on snow and ice tend float.

 

Front axle scale weight is 4,440 pounds and the rear axle is 2860 pounds. The truck total weight is 7300 pounds. Best to scale your truck to get these numbers. As for the tires they are Hankook AT2 245/75 R16 tires rated at 3042 pounds at 80 PSI.

 

Front axle 

4440 ÷ 2 = 2220 ÷ 3042 = 0.7297830375 × 80 PSI = 58.382643 PSI (60 PSI)

 

Rear Axle

2860 ÷ 2 = 1430 ÷ 3042 = 0.4700854701 × 80 PSI = 37.606837608 PSI (40 PSI)

 

Be aware there is different math for dually rear axles.

 

Truck GVWR limit 8800 pounds if I inflate to 60 PSI all the way around I can carry the full 8800 pounds on the 4 tires never be close to even a blow out.

 

 

Edited January 8 by Mopar1973Man

[YeaImDylan]

Any chance the fact my drive shaft was about to fly off anytime would cause axle wrap in the loose conditions? Posted an image of my rear yoke, not sure if it will post from my phone.

 

good news, surprisingly no issues in the snow easing into the throttle slowly. Also, 4wd is now operational and am excited to try it out whenever another storm comes in! Replacing shocks in the rear this weekend as well. May bite the bullet and get track bars sooner rather than later as well.

 

Edited January 31 by YeaImDylan

[Mopar1973Man]

Photo is black. I would love to see what is going on.